In 1926, The Vega Company launched its famous "Vegaphone"
series, and continued producing these until around 1940. The top of this
line was the DeLuxe, as pictured here. One of the most unusual decorations
ever designed for a banjo was placed on this model. It consisted of a
piece of expensive green abalone shell, which was attached to the bottom
of the rim. This decorative feature could only be seen when the resonator
was removed. The banjo shown here has a serial number of 95166, which
places its production date to about 1933.

This web site is free to anyone who wants to view it from the internet. As you may know it is very time-consuming and somewhat costly to put one of these biographies together. To keep the preservation of the Jazz Age’s popular music and research that you see here going, please consider a donation. All donations will go toward the funding of this research which includes travel expenses, materials, research fees, etc. Thank you for your support in preserving a piece of the World’s musical heritage.